


Two Heirs

by RenkonNairu



Series: Cost of a Crown [2]
Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Genre: Canon - Comics & Cartoon Combination, Daddy Issues, Future Fic, Gen, Next Generation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:01:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29957211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenkonNairu/pseuds/RenkonNairu
Summary: One would think the son of He-Man and the son of Skeletor would be bitter enemies. Yeah. You’dthinkthat.
Relationships: Biological Relatives - Relationship, Evil-Lyn & Skeleteen (He-Man), Friendship - Relationship, He-Man | Adam & He-Ro | Dare, He-Ro | Dare & Count Marzo, He-ro | Dare & himself, Skeleteen & He-Ro | Dare, Skeleteen & Skeletor, Skeleteen & The Unnamed One | Gorpo, Skeleteen & himself, found family - Relationship
Series: Cost of a Crown [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047130
Comments: 12
Kudos: 9





	1. Both Alike, But Different

Nobody stopped her when she collected all of Skeletor’s bones from the site of his final defeat. In fact, He-Man looked on, watching Evil-Lyn for a moment with an expression of sympathy, almost pity. Seeing her claw through kicked up dirt or shards of broken rock, tears trickling from her eyes, as she searched for Skeletor’s remains. 

Until Beastman came up to her and placed a paw on her shoulder. He knelt down next to her, but from the angle, He-Man couldn’t see if he was trying to console her, or also helping her look for his bones. 

For one inexplicable moment, He-Man felt the compelling need to console them. Not for the death of Skeletor, that he would not apologize for and, in fact, if the evil sorcerer were resurrected, He-Man would not hesitate to destroy him again. But for their pain. As evil as Skeletor’s minions were, as many crimes as they committed against Eternia, they were still people and Skeletor was… one of them. He-Man was Eternia’s defender, but he was not without empathy. Even empathy for the most undeserving. 

Then Teela took his hand, and he turned from what remained of Skeletor’s loyal followers. 

“It’s over. Adam.” She told him. “Let’s go home.”

With a nod, He-Man allowed her to lead him away. 

He did not see Evil-Lyn succeed in collecting all of Skeletor’s bones. Even the very tiny ones. The patellae of the knees, all the broken fragments of his skull after He-Man smashed it in, even the tiny bones of the inner ear that one needed a magnifier to fine among the rubble. 

He also didn’t see her carry Skeletor’s bones from the field of battle. 

It didn’t matter. Nothing came of it. 

…

She brought them to Anwat Gar, to the Cave of Saryn. Where Keldor’s mother had died so many decades ago. To the cursed pool of her blood that would never dry, the stain of Miro’s betrayal never erased. It was in this pool of his mother’s blood that Evil-Lyn had brought Keldor all those years ago when his face was injured in battle and he was dying. She bathed him in the viscous fluid, washing his wounds in his mother’s blood and created Skeletor. 

If the power of the pool could save him once, then it could save him again. She was sure of it! 

Evil-Lyn had collected every last fragment of his remains. Even the tiniest of bone shards or burned flesh. She laid his remains in the pool of his mother’s blood. 

And waited. 

When nothing happened, she waited longer. 

When nothing continued to happen, Beastman came up to her again. 

“It’ll work!” She insisted. “We just have to be patient. It worked before!”

“He was still mostly alive before.” Beastman reminded her. 

“And it didn’t really work before anyway.” Trap Jaw added, coming into the cave to see what was taking so long. “When Skeletor emerged from that cursed pool the first time, whatever was left of Keldor stayed there.”

“You’re wrong!” She insisted. 

Both Trap Jaw and Beastman exchanged a look. They were not wrong, and they both knew that she knew it. The Skeletor that they spent the past twenty years serving was not the same man as Keldor, the deposed Prince they pledged their loyalties to and wished to one day see on the throne. They might have once inhabited the same body, but Skeletor and Keldor were not the same person. 

Did Evil-Lyn even know which one she was trying to revive?

She loved Keldor. She was his Princess, and if he had ever become King, she would have been his Queen. She was the mother of his son. And for the shortest of times, they were a happy family. 

Then he was injured in battle and became Skeletor, and the change in him frightened Princess Evelyn so much that she feared for her child’s safety. While Skeletor was distracted, she spirited the baby away from their camp and gave him to Mighty Spector, a time traveler who promised to return her son to her at a time when Skeletor would no longer be a threat. 

Well. 

Skeletor was no longer a threat. 

“Let’s go home.” Beastman suggested. 

“Just a bit longer.” Evil-Lyn insisted. “It’ll work. It has to work!”

They all looked back at the pool of blood. But its surface remained placid and still. Not a ripple to betray something moving beneath. No body rose from it. 

Skeletor was gone. 

Keldor was long gone. 

No version of either of them was coming back. 

Finally, Beastman just picked Evil-Lyn up and threw her over his shoulder. Carrying her out of the cave since she refused to leave under her own power. 

“Stop! Put me down! I have to wait for him! He’s going to come back!” She protested, kicking against Beastman’s chest. “There won’t be anyone here when he’s revived. He’ll be all alone!”

“He’s not coming back.” Trap Jaw told her. 

Together, the two of them juggled Evil-Lyn, who did not stop struggling until their vehicle was already over the ocean. Crossing the Gnarl Sea on their way back to the Dark Hemisphere and Snake Mountain. 

Skeletor was gone. His bones laid to rest with his mother’s. A lack-luster funeral for one of the most infamous names on all of Eternia. 

…

Evil-Lyn was listless for days after. 

Tri-Klops would hear her steps just wandering the corridors of Snake Mountain, sometimes stopping at the lookout in the snake’s jaw to watch for Skeletor’s return. 

Trap Jaw would see her in the throne room, looking up at the empty throne as if confused as to why he wasn’t sitting in it. 

She was in denial. Convinced that he could come back. That he would emerge from that cursed pool of his mother’s blood and find his way back to their seat of power and reprimand all of them for not remaining with him until his resurrection was completed. 

As the days dragged on into a week, and then a second week, Evil-Lyn’s denial gave way to rage. 

Why wasn’t Skeletor returning to them? Why wasn’t Skeletor returning to her? What had He-Man done to him in that battle, that rendered the already mostly undead sorcerer completely dead? How dare he! How dare He-Man take Skeletor from her!

It wasn’t fair!

It wasn’t fair that she had to lose him twice! 

And then He-Man just went off back to Eternos, happy as he pleased. Turned out he was Prince Adam all along, and he married his plucky sidekick and became King. The absolute nerve! How dare He-Man, or King Adam as he was now called, have the nerve to be happy when Evil-Lyn was suffering! 

But she would show him! She would get her revenge! 

All of Skeletor’s best plans were her own ideas anyway. She would continue what Skeletor started. The complete ruin of the House of Miro, the House of Randor, and now the House of Adam! She would destroy them all! For what they did to Keldor. For what they did to Skeletor. For what they did to her! 

Over the course of many schemes, her motivation changed from blind rage to an odd kind of bargaining. Maybe if she made Adam suffer as much as she suffered, then Skeletor -or maybe even Keldor!- would come back! Maybe if she could capture King Adam, she could exchange his life for Skeletor’s life. 

Maybe if-

But, as with before, they never could defeat He-Man, or King Adam and Evil-Lyn’s bargaining gave way to a depression that seemed to settle over all of Snake Mountain. Even the lava flows seemed subdued. 

Evil-Lyn took to staying up late, sleeping in, and taking long naps during the day. She forgot to eat sometimes and had to be reminded by Beastman (who also found himself having to bring her food in her room and make sure she ate). 

Everyone was a little listless. 

Trap Jaw took to spending a lot of his time away from Snake Mountain. In the Burning Sands marauding the gas miners, or sailing between the Dark Continent and Anwat Gar. From one of those trips, he brought back a Gar woman with him and introduced her to everyone at Snake Mountain. (Evil-Lyn immediately forgot her name.) But he seemed to be moving on from Skeletor. 

Everyone else seemed to be moving on. 

Tri-Klops went back to the Science Tower he used to protect and became its master. Spending much of his time developing better communications devices, data sharing applications, and -of course- improving his own prosthetic vision aids. 

Mer-Man went back to the Sea of Rakash to rule over his own people. 

Waspus went back to the Mystic Mountains to live as a hermit since his original Queen and hive were both long gone. 

Everyone else seemed to have accepted Skeletor was gone, and they were getting on with their lives. 

And Evil-Lyn didn’t even blame them. Not really. Some afternoons when she would first wake up to start her day, she wished she could share some of their acceptance. She wanted to move on too. She just… didn’t have the motivation. Evil-Lyn had been living for Skeletor and the memory of Keldor for so long that she didn’t know how to do anything else anymore. 

It was approaching a year since Skeletor’s final defeat.

Then one morning -evening, it was actually evening, but Evil-Lyn was now calling any time she woke up ‘morning’- then one evening Mighty Spector appeared. 

He just materialized in the middle of the throne room, with no sound and only the slightest of flashes of light to announce him. 

Beastman noticed him first. 

He also noticed that Mighty Specter was carrying a bundle in his arms. A swaddled blanket wrapped around a tiny squirming body. One arm pulling itself free of the swaddling to flail aimlessly and register his displeasure about the journey they’d just taken. One tiny, slightly pudgy, baby arm that was covered in jewel-blue skin. When Beastman sniffed the air, he recognized the bundle’s scent. 

It was the baby. Keldor and Evelyn’s baby. The one they had just before he became Skeletor.

“As promised, I’m here to return Princess Evelyn’s son to her.” Announced Mighty Specter, sounding a bit like he could not get the baby out of his arms fast enough. Even as an infant, Keldor’s son was a stubborn and misbehaving mess. “At a time when Skeletor is no longer a danger to him.”

Skeletor was no longer a danger. For real. Mighty Spector’s reappearance with the baby confirmed it. 

Skeletor was not coming back. 

Beastman didn’t know if he was relived or disappointed by that news. He was always Skeletor’s most loyal servant. But it wasn’t Skeletor he was loyal to, not really. It was the memory of Keldor that he remained faithful to. Keldor was the King that he chose. The King he wanted. But Skeletor was not Keldor. Keldor had been gone for years. 

But Keldor’s son and heir was now returned to them. A Prince, and heir to the kingdom that should have been his father’s. 

Beastman didn’t know how to describe the feeling that climbed up into his throat.

When he finally managed to speak, it came out as more of a tight croak. “It’s been so long, Evil-Lyn won’t believe he’s hers unless you are the one to place him in her arms.”

Mighty Spector nodded, understanding, and allowed Beastman to lead him through the corridors of Snake Mountain. 

Evil-Lyn was not in bed, but she was still in her pajamas. Standing in the kitchen of Snake Mountain, eating chocolate and hazelnut spread directly out of the jar and not caring that some of it dripped on her clothes. Stopped caring about her appearance long ago. She had stopped sheering her hair short in the past year, and it hung around her face in a messy white mop. 

Evil-Lyn looked up when Beastman entered, seeing only his massive bulk in the doorway and nothing behind him. 

“Oh, was this yours? I thought you couldn’t eat chocolate.” She held the jar of spread out to him. 

Chocolate was something that could cause a lot of problems for members of the Beastmen race, starting with severe stomach cramps and ending in possible death. Beastman did not accept the offered jar of chocolate spread. 

“Mighty Spector is here.” Beastman announced instead. 

For half a second, it looked like Evil-Lyn didn’t understand. She just stared at him. Then she remembered the last time she saw Mighty Spector and her eyes went wide. “Do not play with me, Raqquill! I will end you!”

In answer, all Beastman did was step aside to reveal Mighty Spector behind him. 

And held in Mighty Spector’s arms was a blue-skinned baby struggling to get out of his swaddling. 

Evil-Lyn let out a gasp that was little more than a squeak, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise. She honestly never expected to see her baby again. It had been over twenty years. He should be a grown man by now. But he didn’t grow into this time naturally. He was brought here by a time traveling warrior and remained an infant. 

So that she could raise him at a time when he would be safe from Skeletor. That was the promise Mighty Spector made to her. Evil-Lyn had all but given up on him ever making good on his promise and ever seeing her baby again. She was old enough to be his grandmother now. 

The jar of chocolate and hazelnut spread slipped from her hand as she crossed the small kitchen space to get to Mighty Spector, shoving Beastman (whom was twice her size) to the side as she moved. “Let me see him!”

Mighty Spector passed the baby to her, and Evil-Lyn held her child for the first time in over twenty years. 

She cooed at him, and readjusted the swaddling. 

Opening the blanket, Evil-Lyn examined her child. Inspecting him to make sure the baby was being returned to her in exactly the same condition he was in when she handed him off to Mighty Spector. If the mysterious time traveler had harmed even one of the tiny hairs on her son’s still mostly baled head, she would kill him. She already lost the boy’s father -twice- she was not to be trifled with when it came to the wellbeing of her son. When she was satisfied that her baby was, indeed, as healthy as the day she entrusted him to Mighty Specter, she rewrapped the swaddling blanket and hugged him to her. 

Seeing that his work here was done, Mighty Spector moved to leave. 

Beastman stopped him for a moment. “Do we owe you anything for this?”

“That’s the thing about time travel.” Specter informed him. “I’ve already received the payment I’m going to get from doing this.”

Beastman was not exactly the smartest of Skeletor’s minions and he didn’t fully understand what Mighty Spector was trying to tell him. But he did assume, “We’ll be seeing you again?”

“Probably.” Spector admitted. He glanced around the kitchen, looking for a calendar on the walls. But there was none. That was fine. He knew what date it was. “In about eighteen years, give or take.” 

He did not elaborate on that statement. There was another muted flash of light, and Mighty Spector was gone. 

Beastman looked back at Evil-Lyn. Rocking her child and cooing at him softly. She looked happier than he’d seen her all year. In fact, she looked happier than Beastman had seen her in twenty years. He turned to leave as well, and give Evil-Lyn some time along to re-bond with her baby. 

But he paused in the doorway when she spoke. 

“My son will be the King that Keldor should have been.” She announced. 

Crossing his arms, Beastman did not know how to remind her that they lost to He-Man. They were not in a position to conquer Eternia and place the King they wanted on the throne. 

“We still retain control of the Dark Hemisphere.” She continued, talking more to herself, or perhaps the baby. Not actually speaking to Beastman. “It’ll take time. We’ll need to build up our power again, and my son will have to grow up a bit before he can take the throne. I can act as his regent until then. But my son will have everything his father ever wanted for him!”

…

After the defeat of Skeletor, Adam succeeded his father as King of Eternia. He married Teela, his former Captain of the Guard, who had taken over the role and responsibilities of Sorceress of Castle Grayskull. 

As King, Adam’s first act was to move the capital from Eternos to Castle Grayskull so that he could continue to rule Eternia and still be with the woman he loved. Together they worked on repairing the damage done by the decades long war between Skeletor and He-Man. 

Teela remained at Castle Grayskull balancing the magical forces of the planet that were thrown off by Skeletor’s evil. Using the access to the well-spring of power at the planet’s core hidden under Castle Grayskull. While Adam traveled the planet, cleaning up any last remnants of the evil faction, or even just independent villains like Count Marzo that refused to concede that he had lost. 

Adam defeated Marzo all over again, this time trapping the evil sorcerer inside his own Amulet of Avarice. He did not return home from that fight empty handed. 

It was a year after the final defeat of Skeletor, when King Adam and Queen Teela formally introduced their son, Dare, to the public and the infant was instantly beloved by the people. 

Prince Dare grew up within the walls of Castle Grayskull. Surrounded by the ancient lore of Eternia, he became a fan of the older stories of previous heroes and champions who carried the Power Sword. Heroes besides his dorky old dad. He-Ro was a particular favorite of his and Dare liked to play as him when he would play Masters and Monsters with his toys. 

Adam did make sure to teach his son the importance of diplomacy and trying to work out problems before things escalated to violence. Sure it was fun to play fight with your toys, but most real people were not made of plastic or stuffed with polyfibers. 

While Adam made sure his son understood the value of peaceful solutions over hostile ones, the Masters made sure their Prince could defend himself if peaceful measures failed. Dare was trained in axe, shield, mace, long spear, and -of course- sword. 

But for the most part, Prince Dare lived a sheltered life. He never saw any active combat in his young life, and he certainly was never exposed to any real mortal danger. 

In fact, he was already into his late teens and approaching his coming of age day when Dare even caught an inkling that the whole of Eternia might not be as peaceful and harmonious as his life in the capital lead him to believe. 

“I can’t believe you’re not worried about Skeletor’s son coming into his power!” 

Dare was just walking down a corridor when he overheard Clamp Champ’s raised voice. The words colored with tension and accompanied by the distinctive THUNK that implied a fist hitting a table. 

Curious, Dare rarely ever saw the Masters argue openly with his father, he crept closer to listen in. Dare had heard of Skeletor. His father’s greatest enemy. One of the most evil villains to ever threaten Eternia. Possibly even worse than King Hiss or Hordak (although, that was debated). Dare didn’t know Skeletor had a son. 

“I didn’t say I wasn’t worried.” King Adam corrected; his voice was also raised in frustration. Apparently, this conversation had already been going on long enough for tempers to rise before Dare blundered upon it. “I said I wanted to wait and see. Skeletor’s son is just that: his son. Not Skeletor himself. There is no reason to assume that he’ll be anything like Skeletor once he comes of age and takes control of the Dark Hemisphere.” 

Inching his way around the door, which was cracked open, allowing him to hear the conversation in the first place, Dare peaked through the opening. Inside, his father King Adam, Clamp Champ, his mother Queen Teela, and Orko stood (or hovered in Orko’s case) around a hologram of Eternia. The projection was split almost perfectly in half divided along a vertical meridian that followed the remains of the old Mystic Wall which was torn down long before Dare’s time. The Dark Hemisphere marked in red, one pulsing dot showing where Snake Mountain was, and dark-capital city of Droom which had sprung up around it within the past two decades. 

They looked almost like they were preparing for an attack. …or planning an attack. Dare didn’t know which possibility concerned him more. 

Clamp Champ turned his attention to Teela instead, appealing to the Queen to please talk some sense into the King. “You’re the Sorceress, that’s gotta come with some kind of foresight or clairvoyance. Haven’t you had any visions about this?”

Dare hand to angle his body as he peered through the crack to get a clearer view of his mother. Queen Teela was always more hot-headed and excitable than Adam, and this time was no different. She also looked frustrated and angry with this conversation. But when she answered it was to say, “Visions are given to me by the power sealed in this castle, and it’s up to the castle to decide when it wants to bestow them on me. I can’t just call up spoilers for the future when I feel like it. That being said, the warnings I’ve gotten have not been about Skeletor’s teenaged heir.”

“What have they been about.” Orko asked Teela. 

But his question went unanswered as King Adam spoke again. “Look, Evil-Lyn has been ruling the Dark Hemisphere as his regent these past eighteen years, and -not counting a few revenge attempts shortly after Skeletor’s defeat- hasn’t bothered us at all. Things have actually been almost peaceful. There is no reason to assume that things will change once the heir takes his throne. I believe their better nature will win out in the end.”

There was a brief pause as everyone in the room just stared at Adam. As if he were the dumbest person on all Eternia. 

“Their better nature?” All three of them, Clamp Champ, Teela, even Orko all echoed in disbelief. 

“You actually think people who chose Skeletor have a ‘better nature’?” Teela demanded, sounding every bit the hot-headed Captain of the Guard she used to be. Being the Sorceress did bring her more wisdom, and age had softened out her courser edges, but Teela was still Teela. She was opinionated and not shy about sharing her opinions. …or calling Adam out on his naivety or stupidity. 

“Yes.” Adam insisted with a nod. “I do. Because I have seen how they legitimately care about each other. I have seen how they grieve when one of them is struck down. You were there, you saw Evil-Lyn clawing in the dirt to collect Skeletor’s bones. She loved him. And anyone who’s capable of love is not completely evil.”

“Ugh.” Was all Teela had to say to that. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against a wall, a signal that she was exiting this conversation. Adam had decided that his version of reality true and was not going to listen to anything anyone else had to say to the contrary. 

“Okay, fine, you’re skeptical of that reasoning. I get that.” Adam continued. “Fine. We’ll take ‘love’ out of the argument. How about this, to spite the fact that they are our enemies, they do share some of our same values. When Evil-Lyn and Skeletor’s remaining minions started building up their own country in the Dark Hemisphere, they could have changed the age of adulthood. They could have lowered it to whatever disturbing number they wanted and filled their land with child marriages, or, they could have raised it to keep the heir from coming into power longer so Evil-Lyn could retain control. They didn’t do either of those things. They kept the age of adulthood eighteen, same as us. Because they share our same values.”

“That’s setting the bar for their ‘better nature’ really low.” Clamp Champ pointed out. “The bar is basically on the ground.” 

Before Adam could reply, Orko let out a laugh. “Yeah, but when Skeletor was in charge, the bar of in Eternia’s core!”

Dare couldn’t help but laugh at that as well. Letting out a very wet snort as he tried to stifle the sound. He clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing that even muffled, he was too loud. 

Sure enough, everyone in the room looked to the door, noticing for the first time that it was cracked.

Adam was the one to open it fully. He looked down at Dare and tapped his chin, as if decided what to do with his own teenaged son on the threshold of adulthood. He seemed to come to a decision, and stepped aside with an open arm, inviting Dare in. 

“Welp, you’re about to come of age too.” He announced. “Why don’t you come in and give us your opinion, Dare.”

“Oh. Um.” What kind of opinion did they expect him to have about a person he only just now learned existed and a situation he never before had reason to consider? “Skeletor’s son is, like, my age, right? Well, if I became King next month, I wouldn’t want to start any wars. That’s… a lot.” Even to his own ears that explanation sounded lame. “What I mean is, King is a really huge job and Skele-kid would be new to it. I wouldn’t wanna make any big decisions that I can’t take back. He probably doesn’t either.”

Adam smiled, liking the Prince’s assessment, and agreeing with it. 

“Except this teenager has had Evil-Lyn whispering in his ear his whole life about revenge for Skeletor.” Clamp Champ insisted. “He’ll still have her in his ear once he’s King, and Evil-Lyn has wanted to destroy you-“ he said pointedly to Adam “-since you killed Skeletor. This Skele-teen isn’t going to be a King, he’s going to be a puppet. Evil-Lyn will use him as a rallying point for all Skeletor’s old followers and pick up the same war right where we all left it off almost twenty years ago.”

This time it was Teela’s turn to laugh. “Sorry. I don’t disagree, per say. But, have you ever known a teenager to do what their parent says?”

Dare flushed with embarrassment. He could not help but think his mother was actually talking about him when she said that and he quickly ran down a mental list of everything he was supposed to have done today to try and figure out which was the one his mother was trying to vaguely remind him of. (In truth, Teela was talking about herself and her own teenage years.)

“Which is another reason why I think we should wait and see.” Adam repeated, using a tone that implied a conclusion. The King was done with this conversation. If the King was done, then the conversation was over. Wait and see was his decision. “In truth, none of us really know anything about… Skeleteen.” 

Not even his given name. 

…


	2. King Skeleteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're gonna read a lot of unfamiliar names in this chapter. I promise you, they're not OCs.

“Has anyone seen Malkyn?” A very frustrated Evil-Lyn stomped through the corridors of Snake Mountain looking for her son. 

Servants and guards leapt out of her way, some even going so far as to climb the wall to keep out of the path of the Queen Regent’s ire. 

It was said that Skeletor was never shy about venting his angers and frustrations out on those that served him. Very few of those that now worked at Snake Mountain could confirm whether or not this was true, Skeletor perished before Snake Mountain became the center of government in the Dark Hemisphere (or even before the Dark Hemisphere had anything resembling a ‘government’ at all). But Queen Regent Evil-Lyn was not shy about blasting a servant or guard, or even one of her own high-ranking lieutenants with her magic when she was in a foul mood. 

And Evil-Lyn was in an almost perpetual foul mood since her son and only child hit his teens. From thirteen to now, five years of trying her patience and testing every boundary. 

Beyond the crumbling remains of the Mystic Wall, in the Light Hemisphere ruled by their enemy, King He-Man, Adam of the House of Randor, they feared that Evil-Lyn held full control of her son. That she would continue to rule through him as her puppet King and use his power to overthrow Castle Grayskull. That only proved that those fools who followed Adam didn’t know anything about them at all. 

There was no controlling Keldor’s son. 

Like Keldor before him, Malkyn did what he wanted. 

Evil-Lyn wanted to make sure her son was ready for his coronation, and she couldn’t even find him. 

He wasn’t in the lounge with Panthor. The Dylinx, in his advanced age, had gone blind, lost his hearing, suffered from arthritis, and fatigued easily. Panthor now spent most of his time sprawled on a velvet cushion in a corner of one of the chambers that lava flowed through. The heat rising off the molten river keeping the chamber warm. Malkyn and his friends had moved in some chairs and a gaming table and dubbed the room ‘the lounge’. Panthor was in the lounge, but Malkyn was not. 

He wasn’t in the battle room either. A wide stone chamber in Snake Mountain that was devoid of any magma. It was the one the Evil Warriors liked to train and practice in under Skeletor’s rule. Under Queen Regent Evil-Lyn it kept that purpose and was carved out and expanded into a place for training new warriors, holding evaluations for rank-ups, and hosting try-outs for the royal elite guard (the warriors that would serve the same function as Skeletor’s inner circle). Malkyn was not in the battle room, but Trap Jaw II was. 

His given name was Danger Noodle, but everyone called him Trap Jaw II. Noodle was a Snakeman, but he hatched from the egg malformed and without the lower mandible of his mouth and was subsequently abandoned to the elements. Trap Jaw had just been on a routine patrol when he came across the Snakemen creche, and found the hatchling abandoned inside. Malnourished and dehydrated, Trap Jaw brought the jawless hatchling back to Snake Mountain. Evil-Lyn didn’t even give it a week, saying the hatchling would be dead in days. 

But having lost his own jaw to a traumatic injury, Trap Jaw felt for the infant Snakeman and took care of the small hatchling. He already had an infant daughter, and so there was already a surplus of baby stuff on hand. Danger Noodle grew up right alongside Trap Jaw’s daughter and since he always had a prosthetic jaw like Trap Jaw’s, Danger Noodle didn’t even figure out that he was adopted until the kids were all well into their teens. 

He was practicing with a hook and chain, his preferred weapon. His hear pods were covering the holes on the sides of his head that were the Snakemen equivalent of ears. Meaning he was listening to something on his com. Noodle didn’t seem to be aware that she was there until Evil-Lyn threw up a magic spell, freezing his hook and chain mid-motion and trapping the weapon in purple light. 

Noodle did a double take, blinking the nictating eyelids of his eyes. He reached both clawed hands up and pulled out the ear pods. “Five hells! Sorry, Queen-Regent!” Noodle immediately dropped to one knee as he tried to explain. “I was listening to a podcast about the history of the Radio Alphabet and didn’t hear you.”

Evil-Lyn ignored his explanation. The Radio Alphabet was something introduced to the Light Hemisphere by the late King Randor’s alien Queen who came from a planet called Earth. Apparently, Earth’s communications were so staticky and unclear that they had to invent a new alphabet for it. King Randor liked the idea so much that he made it standard for the Eternos Guard and the Masters to learn. Evil-Lyn already knew about Marlena’s Radio Alphabet and didn’t care. 

“Have you seen my son?” She demanded. 

“Mal?” Noodle echoed. “Not today. Have you tried texting him?”

Disappointed by this answer, Evil-Lyn stormed from the room. 

Noodle waited until she was gone to grab his own com and punch out a quick text message to Malkyn. [Your mom’s looking for you]

After he sent the text he waited for a reply. Malkyn was usually glued to his com and tended to reply to messages almost instantly. When no reply immediately followed Noodle assumed Malkyn was either in a place that did not get com reception, was asleep and didn’t see the message, the com was out of battery, or he turned on Do Not Disturb mode. 

Either way, Noodle went back to his weapons training and his podcast. Malkyn would turn up when he wanted to turn up. 

Continuing her search for her errant child, Evil-Lyn checked the green houses next. 

As the name would imply, the Dark Hemisphere did not get surplus of sunlight. The gasses released into the air from the multiple volcanos that dotted the contentment insured that they would remain under a perpetual gray haze. If they were going to build up their armies, they needed to build up their food stores. Hence the green houses. Long fiberglass buildings build directly over the already nitrogen rich soil around Snake Mountain, and lit with UV lamps to simulate sunlight. The green houses were among the first buildings of the city of Droom to be built. 

Ever Man was tending the green houses. It was not his assigned job. In fact, Ever Man was actually a candidate to be one of Malkyn’s lieutenants once he took his throne. Ever Man just liked to loiter in the green houses because it was the most comfortable place in all the Dark Hemisphere for plants, and Ever Man was a sentient plant. 

Tall and slender, he towered over Evil-Lyn. Moving on roots that seemed to slither through the dirt instead of legs or feet. His trunk and waist were think, remaining an almost straight line up until his chest expanded out into broad shoulders and arms that ended in vines instead of fingers. He had more vines coming out of his head as well. Short skinny ones that grew unevenly and stuck out at odd angles. 

“May I be of service, my Queen?” Asked Ever Man as soon as he noticed Evil-Lyn in the green house. 

“My son hasn’t been by here, has he?” She demanded. 

“Prince Malkyn has not been here all day, Your Majesty.” He assured her. “Perhaps he is causing mischief with Tri-Klops II and Trap Jaw II.”

Evil-Lyn had already found Trap Jaw II and Malkyn was not with him. That left her son’s other idiot friend. 

She left the green house without saying another word to Ever Man. 

After Skeletor’s defeat and subsequent death, Tri-Klops moved back to the Science Tower, and -technically- he still lived there. But he spent a great deal of his time at Snake Mountain or in and around Droom. In the interim years between Skeletor’s defeat and now Tri-Klops used the technology already at his disposal at Science Tower to improve existing communications, both devices and networks and was instrumental in creating a single unified network for the whole planet. Even those royal boobs in the Light Hemisphere used the Eternet, and they had no idea that its inventor, Trydor Scope, was really the late Skeletor’s minion, Tri-Klops. 

Tri-Klops took advantage of the Light Hemisphere’s use of the Eternet over the years to mine the monarchy for data and compose highly detailed dossiers on all the key players who served King Adam. When Malkyn took the throne, he would have all the information he could possibly ever need about his enemies. 

The central Eternet servers remained at Science Tower. But Tri-Klops had set up a cashe of secondary servers at Snake Mountain to store all the data he specifically collected for their war effort. It was in the server room of Snake Mountain that Evil-Lyn found him. 

“Tell me you know where Malkyn is.” She barked at him before any ‘hellos’ could even be exchanged. 

His hand not even pausing on the analogue keyboard he had plugged into a terminal, Tri-Klops asked, “Have you tried ‘Find my Com’? I made sure it was set up on all the kids’ coms.”

Evil-Lyn only pursed her lips and growled. 

Sighing to himself, Tri-Klops set down the keyboard he was working with and pulled out his own com from where he kept it in a hard acrylic holster on his belt. Unlike most other coms that were basically just a crystal touch-screen, his flipped up to have a separate screen, and a physical keyboard with analog buttons that he could feel and read even when he wasn’t wearing his prosthetic visor. Tri-Klops and Tri-Klops II were the only people Evil-Lyn knew of who used coms with analogue keys. They were the only people she knew who needed it. They couldn’t detect the keyboard on the crystal touch-screens. 

Tri-Klops typed in his administrator password that would allow him to see the location of Prince Malkyn’s com. 

‘GPS has been disabled for that device.’ The com’s screen reader informed them. 

Putting his phone down slowly, Tri-Klops turned to look at Evil-Lyn. He rotated the prosthetic eyes of his visor, switching his vision types to see if one of them could tell him how angry she was when he admitted, “Of course, it’s also possible that -growing up with this tech- the kids are better and circumventing it than I originally thought.”

If she was angry with him, Evil-Lyn did not say so. Instead, she just growled, “Where is Tri-Klops II?”

Tilting his head up, Tri-Klops shouted into the rafters above. “Keris, the Queen wants you!” 

A series of poorly lit catwalks arranged for servicing the colling systems of the server room. It was shadowy and hard to see through the network of catwalks and coolant tubing. But they heard movement, something was coming down, jumping from catwalk to catwalk instead of just taking the service ladders like a normal person. 

Then a teenaged girl appeared. Hanging upside down by her knees, which she had hooked onto a low hanging pole. 

She was Gar. Human in shape, two arms, two legs, one head, etc. But unlike humans, Gar had vivid blue skin, most often coming in a jewel-tone shade, and tall delicately pointed ears. 

Originally, Keris was Trap Jaw’s daughter. The daughter he had with his ex-wife. But after a childhood injury left Keris blind, Tri-Klops stepped in to lend a hand. At first just to fit Keris with prosthetics and help her adjusts to her new sightless lifestyle, but eventually, helping out in more domestic ways. Eventually, Trap Jaw and his kids just ended up moving into the Science Tower with Tri-Klops, and Tri-Klops ended up raising both of them. Tri-Klops had referred to Keris and Danger Noodle as ‘my kids’ more than once, and both Keris and Noodle called Tri-Klops ‘dad’. 

“Yeah, Dad?” She asked as she hung upside down between them. Her head was not tilted to either one. Keris seemed to be speaking to the air between them. 

“Do you know where my son is?” Evil-Lyn demanded. 

Keris smirked, the smile almost reaching up to the prosthetic visor that covered her eyes. “I haven’t seen him all day.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.” Evil-Lyn snapped. “I asked if you knew where he was.”

Doing a sort of half-backflip dismount, Keris landed with her feet on the ground and stood. She opened her mouth, then closed it again because she didn’t know what to say. If it was just Evil-Lyn, she could have just lied easily and told the Queen she didn’t know where the Prince had gone. But Tri-Klops being there changed things. She didn’t like laying to or even just in front of Dad. He trusted her and Noodle, which is why he gave them so much freedom, and interceded on their behalf when those freedoms inevitably got them in trouble and Trap Jaw was expected to reprimand them. 

Finally, Keris admitted, “Mal promised he’d be back in time for his coronation.”

“And where did he go?” Evil-Lyn pressed. 

“He was working on his ‘Impossible Plan’ and realized something that didn’t make sense.” Keris explained. “He went to Zalesia to double check his information in the library.”

“Ugh.” Evil-Lyn knew of her son’s ‘Impossible Plan’. Not an Evil Plan, an impossible one. Because it wasn’t going to happen. Too much would have to align just right, and multiple of their sworn enemies would need to become very friendly for Malkyn’s ‘Impossible Plan’ to come even close to being possible. The Impossible Plan was just a waste of time. Sometimes, Evil-Lyn wondered if it was just an excuse for Malkyn to see his grandfather. But that wasn’t important at the moment. At least now Evil-Lyn knew where her son was. She could contact the Faceless One easily. 

Evil-Lyn spun and exited the room, leaving the two Tri-Klopses to listen to the irritated gait of her step. 

…

Tilting his head back, Malkyn massaged his neck and shoulders. Sometimes, research was a literal pain in the neck. But so necessary for absurdly circuitous and complicated schemes. He re-read the passage about King Grayskull trapping all the power of Eternia inside Castle Grayskull one more time just to make sure he understood it. Then made a note on his EyePad. 

The digital tablet was device completely devoted to Malkyn’s Impossible Plan, and the Impossible Plan only. He had taken all other applications off of it to clear as much space as possible for his data. On it he had compiled a 78-point plan for completely changing Eternia as everyone knew it, and basically re-writing history. And it all hinged on whoever had control of Castle Grayskull and wielded the Power Sword to trust him and work with him. In other words, impossible. 

An Impossible Plan. 

But Malkyn kept working on it in his spare time for two reasons. The first being that he was sure it could work, if a whole bunch of people got really cool with a whole bunch of stuff all of a sudden. Secondly… it was what Malkyn really wanted to do. 

His mother wanted him to declare war on the Light Hemisphere. To bring down all the military power she spent his whole life building, down on Castle Grayskull and King Adam like a hammer. As revenge for his father -a father that Malkyn had no memories of- and take control of the throne that should have been his. But that wasn’t what Malkyn wanted. 

Wars were lengthy and expensive, and it was the war with the House of Randor that ended up getting his father killed in the first place. …and the second place. Malkyn had little to no interest in war. 

The Faceless One entered the library, in a cloud of swirling mist and cool air. 

Malkyn did not even look up from his EyePad. “I’m still good on tea and snacks, Grandfather.”

The Faceless One was so overjoyed to have a grandchild that he always kept tea and snacks on hand for when the boy came to visit. But refreshments weren’t what the Faceless One interrupted his grandson’s research for. 

“Your mother is looking for you.” Announced the specter. “And she is not happy.”

“I told her I wouldn’t miss my coronation.” Malkyn assured his grandfather before turning his attention back to his Impossible Plan. 

The blank plain where the Faceless One’s face used to be remained impassive, like sanded stone. “And have you been keeping track of the time while you study?”

Malkyn reached for his com to check the time. He set the com to Do Not Disturb mode, but the clock still worked. His mouth formed a startled but silent ‘oh’ when he saw the time projected on its crystal screen. He took the com off Do Not Disturb and it immediately started vibrating so violently he almost dropped it. Missed calls, missed texts, missed instant messages. It seemed like everyone was trying to get a hold of him and warn him that his mother was looking for him and she was not pleased. 

Carefully, Malkyn shut the ancient tomes he was studying. The Faceless One made sure the preservation spells on all the books in Zalesia’s ancient library were maintained. But they were still ancient and irreplaceable. Malkyn handled them with care. 

He flipped the screen protector of his EyePad case shut and stood. “Guess I better call her and tell her I’m on my way.”

He said that, but Malkyn did not actually call his mother. 

He just stood, unmoving. EyePad with his impossible plan in one hand, com in the other. As if he didn’t want to leave Zalesia but knew he had to.

The Faceless One understood. Lyn put a lot of pressure on Malkyn growing up. Trained him in sorcery herself, made sure he was drilled in physical combat by all of Skeletor’s Evil Warriors so that he could adapt to multiple fighting styles or powers. She found tutors to educate him in statecraft so that he could be an affective ruler. Everything she did was to prepare him for the day he would be old enough to take over command of the late Skeletor’s forces and finally take control of the planet. 

Growing up with that kind of expectation, Malkyn had very few opportunities to relax and be a kid. Zalesia became a bit of a refuge for him. Under the supervision of his maternal grandfather, the Faceless One, Malkyn was allowed to be a kid. To run through the ruins and get skinned knees. Dig in the dirt playing ‘buried treasure’. When he was still young enough to need naps, the Faceless One would read to him from some of the books in the library, and when Malkyn was old enough to not need people to read for him, the Faceless One taught Malkyn how to read the language of ancient Zalesia for himself. 

It was then that Malkyn first got the idea for his Impossible Plan. After reading that all of Eternia’s magical power didn’t always used to be confined within Castle Grayskull. In ancient times, what was now called ‘Castle Grayskull’ was only one of three access points to the wellspring of power at Eternia’s core. But then the Three Towers were sunk, and all the power was sealed away by King Grayskull in his own castle. Cutting off much of Eternia’s surface from the well of power that dwelled beneath it. 

And there was no way to change that except with the help of the one who controlled the Castle and wielded its key, Power Sword. Just conquering Grayskull was not enough. 

“It’s normal to be nervous before your coronation.” The Faceless One informed him. 

“It’s not being King I’m nervous about- …exactly…” Malkyn admitted. There was a level of nerves over being King. He still very young, only just achieved the age of adulthood, and had no experience to draw from. But the bulk of Malkyn’s nervousness came from the knowledge that as soon as he took his throne and started using the power at his disposal, he would be fought on every decision by his own mother. 

The Faceless One placed a comforting hand on his grandson’s shoulder. Malkyn didn’t have to explain. The Faceless One watched him grow up. He knew. 

“Your mother wants revenge for Keldor.” He announced. “But the real Keldor died so long ago, I’m not even sure if she remembers him. She’s wrapped herself in her spite like armor. But spite cannot support a kingdom, and spite cannot ensure that a kingdom has a future. Trust me on that, I have witnessed more than one kingdom fall.”

Malkyn flashed a mock smile, “As always, Grandfather, your wisdom fills me with nothing but optimism for my reign.”

“What I mean is, you get to decide what kind of King you want to be and what kind of kingdom you want to rule.” Clarified the Faceless One. “The future is yours, not Evelyn's.”

“Hm, would be nice.” Malkyn nodded and finally exited the library, heading up to the ram’s head gate that was the entrance to Zalesia. 

His skysled was parked outside, his helmet resting on the seat, exactly as he had left it. 

Malkyn picked the helmet up off the seat and dusted it off. A skull shaped helmet painted and lacquered to look like real bone. His mother had it made for him, to look more like Skeletor. 

Everyone knew Skeletor was Keldor, and they expected his son and heir to look like him. But very few actually knew what Keldor looked like. Only a small few that Malkyn could count on one hand had met his father before he became Skeletor and could tell how much his son looked like him, and how much he looked like Evil-Lyn. 

He had Keldor’s brows and cheekbones, and his jewel-tone blue skin and pointed ears. But his hair was silvery snow-white, and his eyes were purple-violet like his mother’s. Malkyn was a good medium between his parents, but no one who didn’t know what Keldor looked like before he was Skeletor would be able to see it. 

Thus, the helmet came into play. 

At first Evil-Lyn just thought of doing a glamour to give Malkyn the appearance of a floating skull instead of a face. But Malkyn gave a solid ‘nope’ to that one. He didn’t want to cover his face at all, but as a compromise Malkyn suggested a mask. She liked that idea until someone pointed out to her that a mask might interfere with his peripheral vision which would be a liability in a fight, and a mask didn’t offer any benefits to balance the handicap. But a helmet did. Even with just a bit of his peripheral vision cut off, the hard shell of the helmet offered him enough protection to make up for it. 

Evil-Lyn ordered the helmet be made for him and when he first got it, it was just a skull. Malkyn added a mohawk of neon green nylon to make it more his own. Carefully gluing the threads to the cranium then cutting and styling it to his liking. Short on top, so that the threads didn’t hand in front of his eyes, and long in the back because it fit his aesthetic. 

Malkyn slipped the helmet over his head. His neck and his pointed ears were still exposed, so it was clear to anyone looking at him that he was not the original Skeletor. But between the helmet and the clothing his mother insisted on dressing him in, Malkyn would have to be standing next to the original Skeletor for anyone to tell them apart. 

The Faceless One appeared inside the ram’s head gate as Malkyn mounted his skysled. The Faceless One was cursed to remain in Zalesia and could not cross the threshold of the gate. But he could step right up to it. 

“This is not an attitude I would normally support.” Said the Faceless One as Malkyn turned over the engine. “But you’re King now. You can do whatever you want.”

Malkyn nodded, understanding what his grandfather was telling him. Then he kicked the skysled up into the air and headed back to Droom. He hadn’t left himself much time. Malkyn just might be the first King to be late to his own coronation. 

His mother was waiting for him when he touched down just outside Snake Mountain. 

Swallowing a groan, Malkyn held his head high and made sure his back was straight when he dismounted his skysled. That was projected nothing but an air of confidence and command. 

“Welcome back to Droom.” She growled at him, impatience mingling with the irritation in her voice. 

“Thank you, Mother.” He said, making sure every syllable was perfectly pitched and without inflection. “But it was not necessary to meet me. I know the way.”

“You were cutting your timing a little close.” She informed him, that impatience still tinging her voice. 

“And yet I am still here, on time and ready.” Malkyn reminded her, still maintaining the even tone of his voice the betrayed no emotion. 

Passing his mother by, Malkyn matched from the landing area up the stairs and passages of Snake Mountain to the throne room. 

Anyone of any importance in the Dark Hemesphere was gathered in the throne room by the time Malkyn got there. 

Squddish Rex and his son, Mer-Man II, along with his apprentice an Aquatcian that looked like a shark and went by the name of Saw Tooth. 

Ever Man and Slob Boar, who were keeping their distance from Stinkor and his son (that’s right, somebody mated with Stinkor!). Odar was actually pretty funny and Malkyn liked a lot of his shit-posts on Chirper, but he did not want to spend any amount of time in the same room with him. It was good thing better ventilation was one of the many renovations Evil-Lyn had done to Snake Mountain over the years. 

Missile Toe was off to the side, the bulky heavy artillery robot finding it difficult to weave through the crowd for a better vantage. 

Standing closest to the throne were Beastman, whom was holding the Havoc Staff, Tri-Klops, and Trap Jaw. His father’s three most trusted lieutenants. 

Off to the side and slightly behind Trap Jaw were Trap Jaw II and Tri-Klops II. Keris had her head tilted down slightly, one ear turned to the susurrus of whispered that rippled through the crowd when Malkyn entered. If she heard anything noteworthy, she would pass it on to him later. Noodle caught his eye as he started to climb the stairs leading up to the throne and offered a reassuring nod. This was what they all trained for. They got this.

Evil-Lyn came up after him, stopping just as the foot of the steps. She turned to address the gathering. “My son is no longer a child.” She announced. “The time has come for me to abdicate and cede control to our rightful King, Malkyn of the House of Keldor, the True King of Eternia!”

This announcement was met with a cheer from the gathered warriors. 

Carrying the Havoc Staff almost reverently, Beastman climbed the stairs of the throne to present it to Malkyn. 

Malkyn had to take a deep breath to steady himself before he reached out and took the staff from Beastmen. He held it in both hands, feeling the weight of it. How solid and real it felt. This was real. He was King of the Dark Hemisphere. 

Malkyn sat down on the throne. His throne. Keeping his back straight, trying to look like a King even though he didn’t feel much like one yet. He swallowed a lump of nerves in his throat. The very first thing he said as king was going to piss off more than half the people in the room. 

“I need a volunteer to carry a message to King Adam.” Malkyn announced. 

There was a murmur through out the crowd. Mutters of sending the man various dead animal parts as the message, or kidnapping King Adam’s son, Dare, who was almost Malyn’s same age. Of blowing up the city that had sprung up around the new capital of Grayskull. All things that would definitely send a message, just not the message Malkyn intended to send. 

And they were all disappointed to hear him finish his statement. “To discuss the terms for a lasting peace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Except there is one OC, Tri-Klops II aka Keris.


End file.
